Archive for March 2015

Few people know that diamonds come in almost every color of the rainbow. The reason why so few know is because of how rare most of these colors are. I was doing some research for a client lately and had this interesting conversation with supplier:

Don: “Ok Ok, I actually sold a 0.08ct natural blue diamond last week. They’re tough to find, but I can get them…the 0.08ct was $25,000, so I figure you’d be looking at six-figures per stone.”

Me: “WHAT@!? I thought pinks were more than blues? We sold a couple this year and they weren’t that much!?”

Don: “Blues make Pinks look plentiful.”

So how rare are certain colored diamonds?

As you all know,in the diamond world rarity equals value. However, when it comes to colored stones, the 4Cs still apply; however, the color element has an massive range of different hues. The attractiveness of the color plays a major role in determining its value. For example, a brownish-red is less attractive than a purplish-red.

In the rarest of the rare, a slight difference in hue can have a massive impact on value. Moreover, the fact that some of these colors are so rare render it impossible to compare.

I was able to find a scale of diamond value by color, but the thing to consider here is that the range of values can vary widely.

Red: $2,000,000/carat and more

Extremely rare. It is said that less than 10 of these diamonds are found every year. One of the most famous red diamonds is the Moussaieff Red. It’s the biggest red in the world weighing 5.11ct. It’s also internally flawless and has an estimated value of $20,000,000.

Intense Purple: $1,500,000/carat and more

Intense green: $1,200,000/carat and more

Greens pose a particular problem because their color is caused by radiation. They don’t pose a health hazard, however, in most instances it’s hard to determine whether the radiation is natural or lab treated.

Paying $1,200,000 per carat for a lab treated diamond can be hazardous to your health.

Intense greenish-blue: $1,200,000/carat and more

Intense blue: $560,000/carat to $1,000,000/carat

One the most famous blue diamonds is the Hope Diamond. It weights 45.52 carats and emits a red phosphorescence under UV light. Estimated Value: $200-250 Million USD.

Intense pink: $300,000/carat to $750,000/carat

Intense yellow-orange: $70,000/carat to $300,000/carat

Most of the best colored diamonds are sold at auction. For instance, the finest selection of pink diamonds from the Argyle Mine in Australia go up for auction once per year. The amounts fetched for some of these diamonds are astronomical.

It’s a world of color out there! Needless to say, if you’re planning to get a colored diamond, be sure to speak with a gemologist you can trust.